Nawaz regrets incident but blames cameraman for provoking his guards

by Staff Report , (Last Updated December 18, 2018)

–Former PM’s two guards sent to jail on judicial remand after tortured journalist lodges case with police

ISLAMABAD: Two security guards of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were shifted to jail on judicial remand on Tuesday, a day after they tortured a cameraman of a private news channel outside Parliament House.

Earlier in the day, a case was registered against two guards and their chief security officer on the complaint of Wajid Ali, a cameraman working for private news channel Samaa TV. Ali stated in the FIR [First Information Report] that he was filming Nawaz as he was leaving Parliament House when his security guards attacked and injured him.

Video footage of the incident shows the guards chasing the cameraman, who ran to save himself but was eventually overpowered and brought to the ground with kicks to his face.

Journalists present on the spot intervened to defuse the violent situation and took hold of the guard but when they tried to hand him over to the police, a few PML-N leaders came to his rescue and helped him flee the scene.

The media persons later staged a protest outside the parliament and stopped lawmakers from entering the building. Urging the government of taking notice of the incident, they demanded a swift legal action against the suspect.

Meanwhile, former PM Nawaz lamented the unfortunate incident but claimed that the media person hit the guard on the forehead with his equipment first. He added that every measure will be taken in accordance with the law.

“That is no way [to behave],” Nawaz said. “[But] the cameraman had hit the guard on his forehead with his equipment.”

“I will aid the investigation into the matter in every way possible and I will also take action against the guards who are involved in this,” he said, adding that he would never want to hurt the people who are reporting about him and his family “in this difficult time.”